Weight Loss

[Stuie]

Okay I am 5'10" 350lbs. I don't look it... ask Canon or Kathryn. Problem is...that ain't healthy.

I need some help or ideas on trying to lose weight. I work 40-50 hours a week. Fix computers at night, and build websites on the weekends to pay off this surgery I just hadand my wife's a few months ago. Needless to say I don't have a ton of extra time.

I have tried:
Atkins, Metabolic, Weight Watchers, Fast 5, South Beach, and others I know I forgot.

I work out with Kettlebells when I remember and have the energy.

I eat out once a week and cook at home the rest. Down to 1 Dr Pepper a day.

Anyone have ideas please let me know and no i can't afford big programs to loose weight.

[indian_villager]

No Dr. Pepper. Cut down a bit on the smoking so you have the lungs to run. 5 small meals a day!

[ahwahoo2006]

I successfully lost 30+ pounds in 4 months doing South Beach, combined with the Couch to 5k running program.

Feel free to PM for additional details.

[Stuie]

Thanks guys. Don't be afraid to be brutal, maybe that's what I need, just some motivation to bust through the stress and depression and get my ass in gear.

[indian_villager]

Depression does take its toll. I should know. But get over it and get moving.

[AKammenzind]

I can sympathize, I'm in almost exactly the same bag. I'm in decent shape for my height/weight... but being 5'10" and 275 just ain't healthy. If you can (depending on your climate), go swimming...

Mid summer I weighed 295, and lost those 20 lbs mainly from taking a 20 minute swim every morning, and eating fruit for breakfast instead of grains, then normal meals/snacks the rest of the day. Now Pittsburgh is really cold so swimming is out b/c I can't afford an indoor pool membership, or the gas to get there/park, but I still go for short walks, and practice my tang soo do forms.

Mainly just don't worry about what you eat, just eat what makes you feel physically good rather than stuff like (for me) hamburgers, meatballs, pizza, etc. that gives you that sense of satisfaction... then 20 minutes later a 'now why the hell did I just eat all that?' feeling. At least that's working for me.

[staygone]

I'm an avid biker and P90X-er. Just gotta squeeze in that exorcise in your busy schedule. Even if it's for 20 mins a day, you can aclimate into a more vigorous schedule. My pops works super full-time too and he still exorcises for 30-60 mins a day.

Cut off all crap (pop, candy, simple carb bullshit), eat lots of fruit,vegetables, whole grains and get the recommended allowence for lean proteins.

Just gotta eat a good diet (food pyramid or nutritionally efficient for you) and EXORCISE. If you really want results, seriously consider quitting smoking (I cut my smoking substantially).

I feel a ton better now too inside and out, it just took a very rough end of the summer to get me to care more about myself.

I guest I'm lucky being 5'11" 150lbs. Just found out today my BF% is 4%. Stupid fast metabolism.

-QM Edited October 14, 2008 by QuiltedMaple

[moke176]

i know where your coming from. im 5'10", the first of the year i was 270, now im 225. i have lost 45 lbs and kept it off, and i continue to lose weight. everybody is different, one diet might work for you, but might not work for the next person. for me i cut down my food intake calorie wise, and i workout at least 5 times a week. i know a lot of people dont have a lot of time to work out eveyday, but atleast try to get 20-30 min. of cardio 3 days a week to start off. you cant rely on just your diet to lose weight, and you cant rely on jsut working out to lose weight, you need both. i eat about 6 times a day, but small, low calorie, high protein meals. also, try to stay away form soda. cutting that out from your diet will make a big diffrence. like i said, every body is different, this rutein may or may not work for you, but best of luck!

[Stuie]

simple carb bullshit

Not to sound stupid, but i have no idea what that is.

[ahwahoo2006]

simple carb bullshit

Not to sound stupid, but i have no idea what that is.

white bread, white rice, etc (anything made with processed, bleached flour) are simple carbs.

whole grains are complex carbs.

[staygone]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002469.htm

There are good simple carbs, but there are also the bullshit simple carbs.

-QM Edited October 14, 2008 by QuiltedMaple

[Doubon]

Being overweight and active is usually better than being a normal weight (and overweight for that matter) and inactive.
Even if you're having trouble losing weight make sure you get at least 20-30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week.
Trust me, you'll feel loads better Edited October 14, 2008 by Doubon

[Stuie]

Thanks guys for all your help, keep up with the suggestions and ideas. I am sure there are a few people reading this they maybe to embarrassed to ask....not me I am too fat and don't care what people think to hold back.

Tell your success stories also to help give hope to us fatties!

[NJE03]

Something that helped me alot:
Once per day,
2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg brand, can be found in grocery.)
16 ounces of water
Sip, don't chug!

[Stuie]

Something that helped me alot:
Once per day,
2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg brand, can be found in grocery.)
16 ounces of water
Sip, don't chug!

What does that do?

[Scoop]

apparently it makes you feel more full. it can also help with cholesterol.

[hippomania7]

my biggest advice is to drink water.

So many people overlook it. It's such an effortless way to lose weight. It's healthy for you and also, by making it a habit to drink a full glass of water before meals, you feel less hungry. The only downside is that I piss like a racehorse everyday. In terms of the liquids that I drink everyday, here they go:

-1 medium glass of OJ with brekfast + 1 medium glass of water with vitamins (coffee instead of oj on some days)
-1 full bottle of water for lunch
-1 big glass of water around 3-4pm
-1 big glass of water before dinner (usually 7pmish)
-1 medium glass of water with dinner
-1 big glass of water before sleep (11pm)


I'm not an overweight person, but this new water routine really helps me just feel better in the day and while I sleep. Also, I used to love soda. If you need help getting off dr pepper, try this

everytime you want to drink a dr pepper, drink a half glass of water instead. Then your stomach is already kind of full and you don't really feel like "chasing" water with soda.



good luck

[staygone]

With all that exorcise you and the wife will squeeze into your schedule, you'll need to hydrate.

One thing to watch out for is that losing weight by replacing it with water is VERY easy to re-gain. Good example is Oprah. 67 pounds lost, 6 monthes later +200 pounds gained.

-QM

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Okay Stuie, I used to be an obese teenager and lost about 75 lbs. Went from 305 to 230. I kept it off for a long while but alot of stress returned into my life and I've gained it back in the last five or so years, so now I'm 6'3" and 300 lbs. When I initially lost the weight it came down to good old excercise, healthy eating, and self discipline.

There is a reason it has worked for so many people and diet fads have come and gone. It really does come down to whether you're ready to commit to changing your lifestyle which is a tough ass thing to do. It's not easy. There is no lazy way to lose weight.

I'd recommend reading the book "you on a diet". I dont care for the diet plan but the medical and scientific info they give is amazing. If you really wanna fight the fat you may as well know your enemy and also know your body and its natural propensity for weightloss right?

Hey man like I said I've let myself slip but I did it once upon a time and it helped pull me out of depression in a major way!

You can do it, you just have to WANT TO do it and commit. Feel free to PM me with any Qs, my man.

[Lysolz]

6 small meals per day. don't say you're too busy - a banana or a grapefruit will suffice. absolutely nothing but WATER, also. cut that dr pepper shit out - doing that alone would probably drop you 5-10 pounds.

here's an example -

Breakfast - eggs and an orange
9:00 - a banana / cup of cottage cheese
Lunch - a tuna/lean meat sandwhich + carrots/raw veggies
3:00 - an apple and some cheese & crackers
Dinner - grilled chicken breast, or some sort of fish filet (tuna, salmon, swordfish..)
8/9 - this should be the smallest, a tablespoon of peanut butter, or something snack-worthy

if you're craving salty - green olives. sweet? peanut butter. desserts? blend bananas, peanut butter, and ice to make a delicious smoothie/shake.

if you get a craving for something nasty like chips or ice cream or whatever, give in - just don't overindulge. if you eliminate all the things you love you're going to fail. treat yourself to one or two meals of your choice per week.

and, i can't stress enough, drink the hell out of water.

[Balthazar]

Being overweight and active is usually better than being a normal weight (and overweight for that matter) and inactive.

Actually I'm pretty sure recent studies has concluded otherwise. Will try to dig them up ...

Anyways, if you want to loose weight the best way to do it is simply by making sure you eat less kalories than you burn. There are all kinds of drinks, pills and whatnot that promises to make dropping weight the easiest thing in the world, but you don't need that shit. My advice would be to write down what you eat and drink on regular days, then use the fantastic tool called the internet to calculate how many calories you eat on a regular day. Now, find some way to cut back, not neccesarily by eating less, but certainly by eating better. This stuff is boring as hell, but it works, and no supplements are needed. I did this myself when I tried to gain weight. Kept sure I ate about 500 kcal more than I burned each day. I would reccomend you eating about 500 kcal less than you burn when trying to drop weight. A lot of people go from eating a lot of food/drinking a lot of bear/soda etc, to eating next to nothing. Not a good idea. It will take time. But it will all be worth it. Helped a friend of mine losing just about 20kg in 6 months. Oh, and several meals a day is a good thing. And drink lots of water. Not too much (although it's hard to drink to much water), but a lot. Tea is good too, makes the hunger less horrific

Oh, and dropping weight ain't easy. It takes dicipline. Kudos for trying! Edited October 14, 2008 by Balthazar

[Doubon]

Being overweight and active is usually better than being a normal weight (and overweight for that matter) and inactive.

Actually I'm pretty sure recent studies has concluded otherwise. Will try to dig them up ...

Anyways, if you want to loose weight the best way to do it is simply by making sure you eat less kalories than you burn. There are all kinds of drinks, pills and whatnot that promises to make dropping weight the easiest thing in the world, but you don't need that shit. My advice would be to write down what you eat and drink on regular days, then use the fantastic tool called the internet to calculate how many calories you eat on a regular day. Now, find some way to cut back, not neccesarily by eating less, but certainly by eating better. This stuff is boring as hell, but it works, and no supplements are needed. I did this myself when I tried to gain weight. Kept sure I ate about 500 kcal more than I burned each day. I would reccomend you eating about 500 kcal less than you burn when trying to drop weight. A lot of people go from eating a lot of food/drinking a lot of bear/soda etc, to eating next to nothing. Not a good idea.

Oh, and dropping weight ain't easy. It takes dicipline. Kudos for trying!

I just read that out of a nutrition textbook, it could be outdated but it kinda makes sense doesn't it?
Any sort of activity would be beneficial.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Doubon

[Balthazar]

I just read that out of a nutrition textbook, it could be outdated but it kinda makes sense doesn't it?
Any sort of activity would be beneficial.

Yup, and you were right. Overweight and active people generally live longer than thin and inactive people, according to a 2007 study from Journal of the American Medical Association. Sorry about that

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Hey Stuie - complete deprivation = instant failure.

I think though we all have the best intentions that some of the advice could be harmful. When you are used to eating a certain way and eating certain things your body gets into a pattern and to try and break ALL those bad patterns at once could be detrimental especially in a depressed state.

For example try starting with a soda every OTHER day next instead of cutting it out altogether at once. Work your way there with some things and cut some out altogether or if you're like me you'll get resentful and give into a calorie binge which is just as bad as if you were eating the shit all along.

[gaia.plateau]

1) Decide that you're going to do it, and make sure you understand why you're doing it.
2) Like Lyzolz added, eat numerous small meals every day. Switch up what type of calories you're consuming (eg, an hour ago I had about 4 oz of salisbury steak, in another our or so I'll have a small spinach salad, when I wake up I'll have a bran muffin, after my classes an apple, etc.) Eat foods you like, just in very small portions and constantly variant. Stop eating while you're still hungry.
3) Exercise every day, if you're used to lifting weights do a major weight lifting session (switch muscles by day) every day, try to do at least one or two 20 minute cardio sessions a day, and fit in 6 or 7 minute-workouts every day- you can do this at work, or wherever. Bathroom break? Top it off with 20 squats. Work in an office? Drop a book on the ground and do 30 calf lifts. Sitting in a meeting? Flex your muscles for a minute or two. The trick is too keep your body burning fat.
4) Do you drink a lot? Switch to drinking Guinness or Red wine which will help your cholesterol, or learn to enjoy drinking vodka or white rum straight which will reduce your calorie intake.
5) Do you have a bit torrent program? Download these.
http://isohunt.com/download/43821647
http://isohunt.com/download/50956906
http://isohunt.com/download/37987117
http://isohunt.com/download/38955237
http://isohunt.com/download/13003559
And by all means do additional searches on your own for helpful material. Diets are useless, but there are a lot of programs out there that offer useful advice for making your lifestyle healthier (but who has the cash to pay for them?).
6) Craving something rich and sweet? Smoke hookah!
7) Don't even think about starving yourself, it just doesn't work. If your calorie intake stops, your body will stop burning them. You'd have to do it for a week before you even begin to lose weight, and the muscle you lose in the process results in less fat burning.
8) Take everything you read and hear about losing weight/getting in shape with a grain of salt - the overarching fact is that everyone's body and genetics are different, and only you can know just what works for you. Edited October 15, 2008 by gaia.plateau